The Beginning
by Dede42
Summary: Emma Pepper was a regular young woman until her world was turned upside down when she was introduced to the dream-share program by her best friends, Mal and Cobb, and also met Arthur in the process. Now join her on her adventures and see what happens next.
1. Prelude: Dreams

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: Greetings! For those of you familiar with my _Supernatural _fanfics, I'm taking a break from them to post some other stuff that I've been working out, and I will return with the season 2 fanfics. Anyhow, this involves _Inception_ and slight crossovers with _Batman_ and _Doctor Who_, and this also has an original character named Emma, so no flaming me about her, okay? On with the story!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**PRELUDE: DREAMS**

_When I was a little girl, I used to dream about an unusual and amazing man that traveled through time and space in an impossible box that was bigger in the inside then on the outside; this man called himself the Doctor and whenever I was with him, he would have different companions, and he himself would change his appearance from time to time._

_Whenever I would appear in his box, he would smile and greet me by name with a hug, calling me his dream child; as I grew older the dreams of the Doctor would come less and less until I was thirteen years old, and they stopped altogether._

_At first I was disappointed, but after a while, I forgot about the dreams completely, and I moved on with my life; then one night, the dreams started up again when I was nineteen years old, and once again the Doctor was different, but in a way that had me worried for his sake, and yet he was still the same man when he greeted me by name with a hug, calling me his dream child._

_While the dreams didn't come as often as they had when I was a child, I was glad to have them again, and that was fine with me; however, little did I know, however, my dream ability was drawing the attention of people who wished harm to the Doctor, and that my talent with dreams would throw me into a strange new world that would change everything forever._

_My name is Emma Pepper, and these are my adventures._

* * *

Emma Pepper was having a bad month and it didn't look like it was going to get any better any time soon; two months ago, she'd discovered that her boyfriend, a handsome British man named Eames was actually a con-artist, and had been using _her_ to gain access to the Pepper family fortune.

The git had managed to escape, after her brothers had roughed him up and had thrown him into the manure heap on the farm, and she'd vowed that she wouldn't date again for a _full_ year.

'Course that was easier said then done when one was attending college in Paris, France, and there were _a lot_ of good-looking guys walking around; she'd managed to keep her promise to herself and focused on her school work instead, only for this to lead to a whole new set of problems.

Someone was taking credit for her work and Emma was about ready to scream; it had started at the start of February with a classmate discovering that someone had put their name on his work, and it'd taken three days to get the whole mess straightened out.

Since then nearly _every_ student getting a major in interior design, were becoming victims of the mysterious person, and now her own work was being targeted, and it was looking like there was no stopping it.

'_I hate my life,'_ Emma thought, sipping her caramel mocha gloomily; she was at the café on campus, and she was idly doodling on a napkin._ 'It sucks.'_

"I heard that the recruiters are on campus again," a redheaded girl told her friend as they walked by. "And rumors has it, they're trying to find the credit-theft person."

"I hope they find the jerk," said her friend, "then they can use him as a test subject for their program."

Emma quietly snorted at the mention of the "Program", and smirked as she imagined the thief strapped down on a table in a dark room, surrounded by shadowy figures armed with surgical equipment._ 'If only…'_

The program that the girls had mentioned, had started out as a whispered rumor close to two years ago that the U.S. military had started a secret program involving dreams, and that they were recruiting architects to build those dreams for the soldiers to train in before going into actual combat.

Emma hadn't paid much attention to the rumors, although she'd seen Professor Stephen Miles talking to men in suits a few times, and several of his top students have, reportedly, joined the program.

Deciding that she didn't want her mocha anymore, Emma crumbled up the napkin, and was about to stand up when someone called her name.

"Emma!"

Looking around, she saw a young lady heading over to the table, and she smiled. "Hi, Mal."

Mallorie "Mal" Miles returned the smile and they exchanged a hug. "Hi, I've been looking for you," she said and they sat back down.

"You found me," Emma responded, glad to see her childhood friend, who was attending the college to be an architect and had been _really_ busy lately. "What have you been up to lately, Mal? You and Cobb elope?" she teased, making her friend flush and protest.

Dominick "Dom" Cobb was a fellow architecture student, and he and Mal had been dating close to a year now.

"Stop teasing, Emma," Mal scolded, but she was smiling, too; it was a running joke that she and Cobb should run away and elope somewhere like Las Vegas. "Besides, there's someone that I want you to meet, sweetie."

"Who?" Emma asked.

"A friend of Dom's," Mal answered cryptically. "A psychology student and-"

"-and I _bet_ he's a good-looking guy," Emma interrupted, annoyed. "Mal, you're trying to set me up on a date aren't you?"

Mal flushed again and Emma sighed, now exasperated. "Sweetie, it's too _soon_."

"Emma, it _isn't_," Mal protested. "It's been _two months_ and you need to get back into the game. Hear me out, please," she requested, and her friend reluctantly nodded. "His name is Arthur Gordon, he _is_ good-looking, he attends the college, and he and Cobb have been friends for _years_."

Emma nodded. "All excellent points," she conceded, "but, Mal-"

"I know about your promise, Emma," Mal countered, "but you'll want to break it when you meet him. Come on." And she stood.

"Wait, now?" Emma asked, surprised and slightly alarmed.

"Yes." Mal pulled her out of her seat, and they hurried off.

Moments after they were gone, a figure approached the table and picked up the crumbled napkin that Emma had forgotten to toss; unfolding it, the figure stared at the drawing, gently folded and pocketed the napkin, and walked away.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Mal dropped Emma off at a different café, that Arthur would meet her there, and that she and Cobb would join them later; now Emma was seated at an outdoor table with a peppermint tea to calm her nerves, and was wondering whether she was making a mistake by breaking her own promise.

'_I don't even know what he looks like,'_ she thought glumly and began idly doodling on her napkin again._ 'I only known his name, that he's good-looking,_ and_ that he's a psychology student.'_

* * *

Arthur Gordon wasn't big on dating and yet, here he was, heading to a café for a blind date; he was tall, good-looking with dark hair that he kept slicked back, dark eyes, and typically wore a nice shirt with a tie and sometimes with a vest or sweater, nice slacks, and nice shoes.

Since coming to the college to work on his psychology degree, he'd only been on a date once or twice with a girl, who'd spent most of the time primping her hair or fixing her makeup.

So, it'd came as a surprise when Cobb showed up after his class on _"The affect dreams have on mental health,"_ and told him that he was going on a blind date with a lady he knew.

Arthur hadn't been too keen, but Cobb had insisted, and here he was, heading to a café to meet a lady, who Cobb said is lovely, is an interior design student, and has to a habit of idly doodling on napkins.

'_Yeah, that's_ plenty_ to go on,'_ he thought sourly, crossing the street to the café; he and Cobb had been friends since high school, but that didn't mean that Cobb didn't frustrate him by being cryptic._ 'Might as well get this over with.'_

Arthur walked up to the café and scanned the outside tables until he saw a dark-haired woman drawing on a napkin with a pen._ 'That should be her.'_ And he headed over to the table. "Excuse me," he said politely, getting her attention. "Are you Emma Pepper? My friend Dom Cobb-"

"I am," Emma confirmed with a small smile, "and you must be Arthur; sit down, please."

Arthur did so and nodded to the napkin, which now had an unusual box-shaped drawing on it. "Nice drawing, is it for a class project?"

Emma glanced at the napkin and flushed. "No, it's just a random thing," she said quickly, stuffing the napkin into the pocket of her coat. "So, what did Cobb tell you about me?"

* * *

Soon, they were chatting about their friends, their schoolwork, and a lot of other stuff so that they grew comfortable with each other.

"Well, you two make a _lovely_ couple."

Startled, Arthur and Emma looked up and saw Cobb and Mal heading toward them. "Hey."

Grabbing a pair of chairs, the couple joined them at the table. "So, how's it going?"

"Great."

"We actually have a lot in common."

Cobb and Mal were glad to hear that, and they noted that they were seated closer together, and that they were starting to touch hands. All positive signs.

"That's wonderful," said Mal, pleased, and glanced at her boyfriend, who nodded. "We _do_ have another reason for getting together like this."

"What reason is that?" Arthur asked.

"I'm sure that you both have heard the rumors about the program started by the U.S. military, right?" Cobb asked, and their friends nodded. "Well, the rumor about architecture students being recruited is true, and both Mal and myself are in the program."

Both Emma and Arthur were surprised by the news. Their friends were involved with the dream program?

"So, _that's_ why I haven't seen you around, Mal?" Emma asked, stunned. "Wow."

"Cobb, if you both are involved with that program, why are you telling us?" Arthur inquired. "Won't you get in trouble?"

"No, those in charge are aware and we have permission," Cobb said reassuringly. "You see we're _hoping_ to have you both join the program."

Arthur and Emma exchanged bewildered looks. "Why us?"

"In the few years that the program has been running, those in charge have decided that they need to expand the area of recruitment beyond architects," Mal explained. "Plus, they're concerned about the psychological effect that the dream-sharing might have on those who go under."

"What kind of side-effects?" Arthur asked.

Cobb shrugged. "Not really sure," he admitted, "but someone familiar with psychology should be able to figure it out."

"Cobb, _assuming_ that I even say yes, why _me_?" Emma asked. "I know plenty of other interior designers who are even better then I am."

"But none with your skill and talent, Emma," Cobb pointed out with a sly grin.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay, _enough_ with the Cheshire cat smile, I'll hear you out before I give an answer."

"What is the dream-sharing exactly?" Arthur asked, getting back on track.

"Dream-sharing is where there is a dreamer and a subject," Mal responded. "The dreamer creates and controls the world of the dream, and the subject populates that world with people and information."

"And the challenge of creating a dream that's realistic enough to convince the subject that the dream is real," Cobb added. "That's what we're doing for the soldiers, creating a world that's real enough for them to train in before going on their tour of duty."

"Wow, you must need a _lot_ of detail in order to create such a realistic dream," Emma commented.

"Not really," Cobb countered. "You see, our dreams _seems_ real while we're in it, and it's only when we wake up that we realize things were strange."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's true, but to do what your suggesting still requires details to make the illusion work."

"Normally yes," Mal agreed. "That's what our minds do naturally, but what we do is _completely_ different."

"Let me ask you both a question," Cobb requested. "You never remember the beginning of your dreams do you?" and both Emma and Arthur nodded. "You just turn up in the middle of what's going on."

Emma shrugged. "Pretty much."

"So…_how_ did you both end up at this café?" Cobb asked.

"Well, Mal drove me-" Emma began and then stopped as confusion etched itself across her face. "Wait…"

"How did you get here, Arthur?" Mal asked.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I walked h-" he paused and the same confusion crossed his face. "I-I can't remember…"

They looked around at the café and the people among them, and realization dawned on them. "A-are we dreaming?"

"Stay calm," Mal advised, noting that Emma was starting to breath hard with her eyes going wide, and smiled slightly when Arthur took her hand, and this calmed her down. "We're actually asleep in the living room of my parents' home, and this is your first lesson in dream sharing."

"We've been dreaming this whole time?" Arthur asked, earning two nods. "Why trick us? Why not just ask?"

"I asked the same thing after my first time," Cobb agreed, checking his watch. "And it looks like time is just about-"

* * *

Emma opened her eyes and found herself on the floor with her head resting on several pillows; hearing a hissing sound, she turned her head slightly and saw a sliver briefcase with some kind of machine with four sets of tubing running from it, and attached to her right wrist was a set of tubes.

"Welcome back," said a man with white hair and blue eyes as he knelt in front of her and began removing the tubes. "Hello, Emma."

"Miles?" Blinking Emma sat up and felt a light touch on her left hand and she turned to see Arthur lying next to her, and she squeezed his hand in return, getting a smile in response; dream or not, she _definitely_ liked him, and it was obvious that Arthur liked her, too.

"That went well," Cobb commented from across the room, already removing his tubes with a satisfy expression, and Mal was doing the same. 'Managed to go the full five minutes without having the dream collapse."

Emma and Arthur exchanged bewildered expressions. "Five minutes? But it was more like an hour."

Miles chuckled, putting away the tubing. "How about we continue this discussion over lemonade?"

* * *

A while later, the group was seated around the kitchen table with glasses of cold lemonade and several plates of cookies.

"So five minutes in the real world gives us an hour in the dream?" Arthur asked, trying to make sense of what Cobb and Mal were calling dreamtime.

Cobb nodded. "When you dream, your mind functions more quickly, so time seems to pass more slowly."

Emma shook her head, amazed. "You two have a _crazy_ job."

Mal giggled. "Yes, it can be."

"Cobb, earlier you said something about being glad that the dream didn't collapse," said Arthur. "What'd you mean by that?"

"The first time I realized that I was in a dream, it collapsed, and I got brained by a cinderblock," Cobb answered. "And in a dream, the pain is _very_ real."

Arthur and Emma grimaced. "So, if we die in a dream-?"

"You'll wake right up," Mal responded. "No matter how much time is left on the timer."

"Wow," said Emma, clearly overwhelmed. "Um, I-I _need_ some air to process all of this." She then stood and headed out to the back porch.

Arthur watched her go and, after considering everything, also stood. "I need some air, too."

"Uh, Arthur," said Cobb, "it's usually best to not disturb Emma when she's like this."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, Cobb," Arthur assured him with a small smile, and headed outside.

* * *

It didn't take Arthur very long to find Emma standing on the back porch with her back to the house, and he took a moment to admire her appearance and the way she carried herself. "A lot to take in, huh?"

Emma nodded, not looking at him. "Yeah…maybe too much," she admitted, turning to face him. "Being in that dream and not realizing it, it's scary."_ 'And it's different from the dreams involving the Doctor.'_

"And yet there's nothing else quite like it," said Arthur, moving closer to her. "No paper, no pens…"

"Just pure creation," Emma agreed, noticing for the first time that Arthur was wearing a spicy pine-like cologne that reminded her of the family farm, and she liked it. "Nice cologne."

"Thanks," Arthur said with a smile. "It's to cover up the fact that two of my roommates are constant smokers and won't do it outside," he explained, noticing that she wore perfume that was a mixture of roses, vanilla, and peppermint. "Nice perfume," he commented, gently touch her hand.

"Old family recipe," Emma said, smiling. "And it helps my roommate, who is working two jobs and is pregnant; basically it calms her down and keeps her sane."

"I believe it," said Arthur. "Still scared?"

Emma shrugged. "A little. Arthur are you interested in the program?"

"Honestly, I'm more interested in you, Emma," Arthur admitted, "and being able to share dreams with you would be a nice bonus."

Emma flushed, realizing that he was flirting, and was voicing her own thoughts. "I'm touched, Arthur, but you barely know me, and I barely know you."

Arthur smiled and gently touched her chin. "Emma, we just spent an _hour_ in a dream getting to know each other, and that part was real for us both."

Emma stared into his eyes, her heart racing, and she knew he was right; it _had_ been real, dream or not. "Fair point," she admitted. "Want to let Cobb and Mal know?"

"Not yet," Arthur whispered and gently kissed her lips; Emma froze for a moment and then relaxed, kissing him back, her promise now broken and forgotten.

* * *

When they returned to the kitchen, they flushed at Cobb and Mal's knowing smiles, and they sat back down at the table.

"So," said Emma, "where do we sign up?"

They were in.

* * *

Elsewhere, the figure from the café went to the harbor, boarded a fancy ship, and present the folded napkin to a tall man with graying brown hair, icy blue eyes, icy blue eyes, a brown beard that was also showing signs of gray, and was dressed in a severe black suit. "A sketch from the child, sire."

The man took the napkin, carefully unfolded it, and gently lay it on the table, examining the drawing: stark against the whiteness of the paper was a pepper shaker-shaped object with stick-like items sticking out in places, drawn in blue ink.

"She's the one," he said with a cultured accent. "Keep an watch on her," he ordered, and the figure left; carefully he framed the napkin, and smiled.

The dream child had been found.

A/N: Sorry, ladies, but my OC is keeping Arthur to herself, and let's see who can guess what Emma was drawing on those napkins. R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 1: THE RETURN OF THE EX

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: I return with the official first chapter and I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: THE RETURN OF THE EX**

Over the next few months, Arthur and Emma got used to the somewhat craziness of the dream-sharing program, also known as Project Somnacin, which was also the name of the compound that enabled the whole thing to actually work.

There were a few times when they had dreams collapse on them, which came as a shock each time, but Cobb assured them that they would get the hang of it, and yet he admitted, there was _no way_ to get use to being attacked by the projections when they eventually converged.

The good news was that the credit-thief was caught and turned out to be a student on the verge of failing, and had gotten his hands on one of the PASIV Devices somehow.

* * *

"I wonder how he got his hands on the machine?" Emma wondered sipping her white wine; she and Arthur were on a double date with Cobb and Mal at a nice restaurant. "Aren't they locked up when not in use?"

"Normally yes," Cobb confirmed. "But when they did an inventory check after catching that student, they found that nearly a _dozen_ machines are missing from storage."

"A _dozen_?" Arthur repeated, alarmed. "Whoever took them clearly isn't aware of the side-effects that can develop if you go under too often."

Arthur and other psychology students that have been recruited, had discovered a _big_ side-effect that even the people in charge hadn't been aware of; it was possible for a person to over expose themselves to the dream-sharing, and lose the ability to dream naturally.

However, Arthur theorized that if a person was caught early enough, it would be possible to reverse the damage, allowing the person to recover by cutting off their access to the dream-sharing for a period of time.

"Clearly not," Mal agreed, shaking her head. "I hate to imagine what would happen if the program was used for illegal reasons."

Cobb, Arthur, and Emma all agreed, grimly fearful of a complete stranger breaking into their minds and stealing their ideas without them even realizing it.

"Well, I say we put our fears behind us and enjoy our date," Cobb suggested, holding up his wine glass; his friends agreed, clicked their glasses together for a toast, and they went back to their dinner and non-work-related topics.

Unknown to the group, they were being watched; seated at a table across the room, a man in his late thirties with brown hair, grey eyes, and wore a nice dinner suit, watched them while sipping a Vodka martini that was shaken and not stirred.

'_So, love, you've moved on,'_ he thought, watching Emma, who was smiling and laughing with the handsome young man sitting next to her._ 'Good for you, shame that I'll have to take you away from it for a while.'_

Finishing his drink, he tossed a few bills on the table, stood, and left with a slight smile._ 'See you soon, darling.'_

* * *

Two weeks later, Emma was at her apartment, getting ready to go to work, and her new roommate, a young Indian woman named Aesha, was getting ready to head out on a date.

_`"Emma, have you see my purse?"`_ Aesha called out from the living room._ `"I can't find it!"`_

Emma rolled her eyes, putting on a pair of pearl earrings. "Check behind the chair near the window, Aesha," she called back. "You tossed it back there after your _hot date_ last night."

_`"You sure?"`_

"Positive," Emma responded, now putting on her perfume. "I saw it there earlier."

_`"Thank you!"`_

Chuckling, Emma went back into her bedroom and stepped into her heels, hearing the front door shutting and locking. _'I'm surprised she's getting good grades in her classes, what with all the partying she does.'_

Collecting her coat and purse, Emma headed toward the front door, and she was halfway there when the doorknob started turning, and she froze; she knew that it couldn't _possibly_ be Aesha since she rarely forgot her key, and she'd seen enough suspenseful movies to know that this was _never_ a good sign.

Backing away slowly, Emma reached into her purse for her cellphone when she became aware of someone moving up behind her, and in that moment, she was glad that she was wearing pants and not a skirt._ 'Nice try.'_

Reacting, she slammed her heel into the knee of the attacker, making him scream as he crumbled to the floor, and she bolted to the kitchen the moment that the front door was kicked in by two additional attackers.

* * *

As they charged in, running past the downed attacker, and the first turned the corner-

_SLAM!_

The attacker went cross-eyed and dropped, thanks to a frying pan to the face; Emma dodged the second attacker's hands and slammed the frying pan into the back of his head.

As he crumbled, she ran back into the hallway, jumped over the groaning man on the floor, and was inches from the door-

A hidden fourth attacker rose and grabbed her from behind, clamping a cloth over her house and mouth; Emma struggled in his grip, doing her best not to inhale the sweet-smelling drug, which was most likely chloroform, that was on the cloth.

_`"Don't fight it, darling,"`_ the attacker advised, whispering into her ear as he held her tight._ `"Just breathe and go to sleep."`_

'_Oh God!'_ Emma recognized the accent and renewed her struggles to break free, but at that _exact_ moment, she accidentally inhaled a bit of the chloroform, and she went limp, her head spinning.

The attacker kept the cloth in place and dragged the young woman to the living room, where he gently laid her on the recliner, and removed the cloth.

The two men in the kitchen came staggering out, just as he removed his mask, and looked at them. "Bring it in, and one of you get that guy out of here_ now_."

They nodded and left, dragging the wounded man with them, and he looked back at Emma's sleeping form._ 'I don't want to do this, love, but I got to.'_

When the one guy returned with a familiar-looking briefcase and began setting it up on a table between the two recliners, the man, Eames, removed his gloves and repositioned Emma enough so that she was lying in the chair with her head tilted slightly and her hands were resting on the armrests.

"Here," said the man, handing over a set of tubing, which Eames took and strapped onto her left wrist.

Accepting a second set of tubing, Eames settled down in the second recliner, strapped the tubes on, clasped his hands together, and then nodded at his partner, who then pushed the button, releasing the drugs into the tubing.

Within seconds, Eames slipped into a deep sleep, his body going into a relax state; double-checking everything, the man then moved to a different spot to keep watch.

* * *

"She's late."

"Emma probably just got stuck in traffic," Cobb suggested, adding the Somnacin to the machine for their next project; the people in charge wanted the dreams to be built like mazes, and they were hoping that complex mazes would help both the dreamer and the sleepers avoid the projections longer.

"No, Emma would've called to let us know if she was going to be late," Arthur pointed out, checking his watch. "Something's wrong."

"He's right, Dom." Mal entered the lab, worry and concern etched across her face. "I've been trying to reach her, but her cell keeps going straight to voicemail, and I can't reach anyone at the apartment."

Arthur and Cobb exchanged uneasy looks. This wasn't good.

"We better head over there," Arthur suggested, grabbing his coat, and Cobb nodded and locked up the machine, putting away the chemicals.

Locking the lab behind them, the trio headed out.

* * *

An hour later, they arrived at the campus apartment and hurried up the stairs; reaching apartment 170, Arthur's heart sank when he saw that the door was slightly ajar and the doorframe was cracked.

Exchanging a look with his friends, they pulled out their guns, which came with the job, and they silently entered; in the hallway, they found signs of a struggle, the frying pan, and Emma's purse.

With Mal bringing up the rear, they moved toward the living room, and Arthur turned the corner, only to be tackled by a man dressed in black with a black mask covering his head; they struggled for several seconds until Cobb slammed his gun into the back of the man's head.

The man went limp and Arthur shoved him off; sitting up, he froze at the sight of Emma and a second man, also dressed in black, sleeping in a pair of recliners, and both were hooked up to one of the PASIV Devices. "Emma!"

Jumping up, Arthur ran over to his girlfriend and gently touched her face while Cobb and Mal heaved the downed man into a steel chair, duct-taped his wrists and ankles, and pulled off the mask, revealing that he was sporting a broken nose and two black eyes, thanks to the frying pan earlier.

"Dom, what's going on?" Mal asked, worried.

"I don't know." Cobb went over to the machine and checked the timers. "Two hours, which means they're gonna be in the dream for forty hours."

"Forty?!" Arthur exclaimed, alarmed. "Cobb, we gotta do something."

Cobb nodded, turned to the second man, and froze when he saw his face. "Oh no…"

"What is it?" Arthur asked. "You know this jerk?"

"I do," Cobb confirmed. "This is Eames, Emma's ex-boyfriend."

Arthur felt his insides grow cold; Emma had told him about her ex being British and a con artist, who'd tried to use her to get to the Pepper family fortune, and why she'd been reluctant to start dating again. "Cobb we gotta go under and get Emma out of there."

Cobb agreed and went to get two chairs while Mal programmed the two remaining timers, and Arthur pulled out the tubing; once they were set up and seated in the chairs, Arthur placed his hand on top of Emma's and Cobb nodded at Mal, who pushed the button, sending both men into a deep sleep.

* * *

There was a storm raging outside the massive mansion, and Emma was running through the dimly lit halls, terrified; she didn't know how she'd got there or even how long she'd been running, but she _knew_ she had been kidnapped.

'_I'm probably being held here until my parents pay a ransom,'_ she thought sourly._ 'Damn you Eames!'_

The fact that her ex-boyfriend was involved had her pissed, and when she found him, she was going to _strangle_ him.

_BOOM!_

Yelping, Emma jumped and ducked behind a potted plant as the thunder exploded outside, and she covered her ears. "Oh God…"

* * *

Arthur walked down the hallway with his gun out, searching for some clue that Emma was nearby; turning a corner, he almost ran into Cobb, who had his own gun out, and they both winced at the thunder and lighting.

"Emma must be hiding from the storm," Arthur guessed as they resumed walking. "She hates thunder storms."

"And Eames knows that, too," Cobb agreed, looking around. "Arthur is it just me, or is there something missing?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen any projections," Arthur confirmed. "Emma's the subject, so there _should_ be projections."

Cobb nodded. "Yeah, so where are they?" he'd arrived in a playroom that filled with toys that dated back to the 1880s, and a tall blue police box for some strange reason; that had been in the attic and he'd had to go down a narrow staircase to get to the rest of the mansion.

"No idea," Arthur admitted; he'd found himself in a old-fashion bedroom and had found drawers filled with insect collections, making him wonder what kind of research Eames had done when creating the dream. Leaving the room, he'd thought he'd seen someone, but a quick search hadn't reveal anything.

"Let's find Emma and get out of here," Cobb suggested and Arthur agreed; strange as the dream was, finding their missing friend was more important.

* * *

Humming to himself, Eames walked across the grand foyer to the study and then paused when the grandfather clock chimed six times; sensing that something was up, he hid himself behind a drape, and watched as a stern-looking woman in a high-collared black dress entered with a lit candle.

'_So there _are_ projections in this place,'_ he thought, watching as the woman paused in front of the clock for a moment and then faced one of the walls; his jaw dropped when two of the panels slid aside, revealing two aids, and when they stepped out, there were more maids behind them._ 'Bloody hell, I don't remember adding that when I designed this place, and I doubt it was in the blueprints I memorized.'_

Once they were gone, Eames moved from his hiding place, mildly disturbed by the sight, and slipped into the study; there the walls were covered with insect collections, but he pay no mind to them and went to a bookcase, where he uncovered a hidden safe.

"Here we are," Eames whispered and smiled as he worked on cracking it.

* * *

Hearing footsteps heading in their direction, Cobb and Arthur duck behind a suit of armor, and they watched as a line of maids walked past, all with emotionless expressions.

"Looks like we found the projections," said Arthur once they were gone. "But why would Emma have so few and _creepy_ projections?"

"No idea," Cobb admitted, stepping out from the armor, and they resume walking. "It's impossible to predict the type of projections that a subject's subconscious will create, and yet it does explain Emma's reluctance to be a subject."

"Yeah, it does."

* * *

Gathering up her courage, Emma stood and was about to step out from behind the plant when she heard footsteps…_a lot_ of footsteps; fearing that it was the kidnappers looking for her, she duck down again, trying to blend in with the shadows, and had her arms wrapped around her knees.

'_Please don't let them find me,'_ Emma silently prayed as the footsteps drew closer._ '_Please_ don't let them find me!'_ her eyes went wide as a line of maids walked past and her heart sank, for she now knew where she was, and it was a _bad_ place!

_Gabriel Chase!_

Once the maids were out of sight, Emma came out of hiding, looked around frantically, and then ran; looking for the grand foyer, she turned a corner, and screamed when a pair of strong arms grabbed her.

"Emma! Emma! It's me!" Arthur exclaimed, holding his girlfriend close as she went weak and cried instead. "I got you," he told her, relieved. "I got you."

Finding a door that led to a bedroom, Cobb motioned to his friends and they went inside, where Arthur got Emma to sit down on the bed, and Cobb kept watch.

Emma clung to her boyfriend, trying to calm herself down, but it wasn't easy, and the sooner they got out of there, the better. "Arthur, Cobb, we've _got_ to get out of this place, and soon."

"Emma, do you remember how you got here?" Arthur asked, surprised to see that she was so scared that she was trembling._ 'She's terrified. Why?'_

Emma shook her head. "No, last thing I remember was being attacked in my apartment, and taking out three of the attackers. But that doesn't matter, getting out of _this_ place does."

Cobb and Arthur exchanged a look, they had to tell her the truth.

"Emma," said Cobb, turning to her, "you're in a dream, and you're still in your apartment, sleeping right now."

"I – I've been pulled into a dream?" Emma asked, alarmed. "Who and _why_?"

"We don't know the why," Arthur admitted, "but we know that your ex-boyfriend, Eames, is responsible for creating his dream."

Emma's eyes widened. "Eames?" she repeated and got two confirming nods. "Oh, I'm _so_ going to kill him!" she stood and began pacing, her anger overriding her fear for the moment. "Of _all_ the places, he _had_ to choose Gabriel Chase."

"Gabriel Chase?"

Emma sighed, unwanted memories stirring. "This mansion we're currently in, is based on a _real_ Victorian mansion named Gabriel Chase, and it was located in a small town in the English countryside called Perivale," she explained. "And it was considered a haunted house since the former owners, the Pitchards, mysteriously disappeared during the time of Queen Victoria, along with a police inspector named Mackenzie, a hunter named Redvers Fenn-Cooper, and the second owner, Josiah Samuel Smith."

"Emma, you keep saying 'was'," said Cobb. "Did something happen to the mansion?"

"When I was five years old, my family spent the summer in Perivale with relatives, and I spent a lot of time with my cousin Dorothy, who was thirteen in 1984, and she let me call her Dot." Emma smiled wistfully. "Having only brothers, Dot's the closest thing I have to a big sister."_ 'I should go to Perivale sometime and see how she's doing.'_

"What happen to you at the mansion?" Arthur asked gently.

Emma shivered. "I-I went looking for Dot, who'd ran away after learning that her friend Manisha, had been killed after having her flat firebombed by racist white kids; eventually a boy named Midge, plus several other teens that Dot knew from school, found me and dragged me to the fence outside the mansion. They were daring me to spend the night in the place and I didn't want to, but Midge was insisting when Dot found me; she offered to go into m place, but Midge said had to be me or both of us…"

* * *

_`"'Emma whimpers as she and Dot enters the old mansion, which is full of dust and cobwebs; they jump when the door closes behind them, and they hold onto each other._

"_I don't want to do this," Emma cries. "I'm scared."_

"_I'm scared, too, Em," Dot admits, hugs her close. "But we're gonna find the back door, climb the back fence, and go home, ok?"_

"_Ok."_

_They cross the foyer and scream when the ancient grandfather clock starts chiming six times; they run into the depths of the mansion. A evil force chases the girls throughout the mansion, and soon they find the back door and their freedom.'"`_

* * *

"I don't know what evil was in that place," Emma concluded, once again sitting on the bed with Arthur, who was holding her hands, "but I had _horrible_ nightmares for weeks afterward, and during that time, a fire broke out and burned the entire mansion to the ground. Dot wouldn't admit it, but I _knew_ she was responsible for the fire."_ 'I did later revisit the place in my dreams, but I'm not about to mention _that_.'_

"So, the projections out there are from your nightmares?" Cobb asked from his position near the door.

'_Sort of.'_ Emma nodded. "Yes, and those are just small fry compared to what's in the basement." And she agreed with her friend's uneasy expressions. "We should _really_ get out of here."

"And find Eames," Cobb added, earning two confused looks. "Look, it's _obvious_ that he has no idea what he'd gotten himself into, and he'll be torn apart by the projections unless we get to him first."

"Serves him right," Emma muttered, standing up and accepted the gun offered by her boyfriend. "Alright, let's go. Eames will most likely be in the study downstairs."

Making sure that the coast was clear, they headed out together.

* * *

Taking longer then he expected, Eames _finally_ got the safe open, revealing a stack of papers that were neatly tied together, and he took it out with a grin; slipping the papers into his coat, he turned to go, and found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.

"Hello, _sweetie_," Emma growled, her eyes flashing with anger. "Found what you were looking for?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Eames vaguely and protested when Cobb patted him down, finding the papers. "Oie! You mind, Cobb?"

"Not at all," Cobb retorted and handed the papers to Emma. "So, Eames, what're you doing _exactly_ with the PASIV Device?"

Eames shrugged. "Oh, just trying to finish what I started months ago, and I figure I could extract the information."

"Extract information?" Arthur scoffed. "You've _no idea_ what you're doing with the dream do you?"

Eames smirked. "Oh, I'm sure that I know more then you realize, mate, and you are?"

"Arthur, her _boyfriend_," Arthur snapped, eyes narrowed. "And I'm resisting the urge to plant a bullet in your _head_."

This threat made Eames uneasy, especially with Arthur's cold expression, and that was enough to convince him that this guy was serious with his threat.

Cobb moved over to Emma, who was looking through the papers. "What was he trying to extract you're your mind?" he asked.

"Access codes to my accounts," Emma answered, retying the papers. "And information about the family business." She then lowered her voice. "Dom, I think someone _hired_ Eames and gave him basic instructions of how to build a dream, 'cause this is _beyond_ his skills."

Cobb nodded, having suspected the same thing. "We better get out of here before your projections start converging."

Emma nodded. "Agreed." And she stuffed the papers into the pockets of her pants, gesturing to Eames. "Let's go."

* * *

Leaving the study, they were halfway across the foyer when an army of maids suddenly surrounded them, blocking their access to the front door, and now there was a man with longish brown hair, brown beard, and dark eyes, dressed like a Victorian gentleman.

"Going somewhere?" the man asked, stepping forward with a clod smile. "With a storm raging outside?"

Emma cringed at the thunder, but she didn't lower her gun either. "Eames, _tell me_ that you have an exit plan."_ 'I can't control my subconscious, but _maybe_ I can get us out of here.'_

"Um." Eames swallowed. "Well…"

"You created all of _this_ and forgot to plan an _escape_ route?" Cobb asked, alarmed. "What were you thinking?"

Eames shrugged. "Wait for the timer to run out?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That's a stupid plan; you set the timer for two hours, and that means forty hours down here in the dream."

"Really?" Eames asked, surprised.

Emma groaned and then looked up at the chandelier directly above their heads; spotting the rope holding it up, and saw a perfect target. "You're a git, Eames, and it's time that we wake up." And she fired at the rope.

Realizing what Emma was doing, Arthur and Cobb braced themselves, and Eames was confused; firing a second time, the rope began fraying, and Emma grabbed Arthur's hand and squeezed her eyes shut.

The rope snapped and a ton of crystal and metal dropped onto the quartet before the projections could attack.

* * *

Gasping, Emma snapped awake and groaned at the pain in her head, wishing now that she'd used a different way, and became aware of Arthur holding her hand, which was a pleasant distraction.

The sounds of grunting and struggling prompted the couple to turn to the sight of Cobb wresting Eames to the floor, and Mal was covering the British man with her gun.

"Stay here," Arthur instructed, removing the tubes from their wrists, and went to help Cobb with the con artist.

* * *

An hour later, security came and took Eames, his partner, and the PASIV Device away, and two men remain behind to repair the doorframe and the lock; Emma was now on the couch and was wrapped up in a blanket, still a bit shaken by the experience.

Arthur joined her with two mugs of peppermint tea. "Here, Mal figured you need some," he said, sitting down next to her.

"Thanks." Emma accepted the tea and blew on it a few times before sipping the mint-scented liquid. "Arthur, what you and Cobb saw in the dream, what I told you-"

"It's _fine_, honey," Arthur cut in, touching her face. "We all have baggage that we have to deal with, and you got us out of there _because_ you knew where to go."

"True," Emma agreed, "and I guess being crushed by a chandelier is better then being torn apart by demonic projections."

Arthur nodded, smiling. "_Definitely_ better, and now I know why you drink English brand tea," he added, making his girlfriend flush. "You gonna be alright? Maybe I should spend the night."

"I'll be fine," Emma assured him. "Mal's gonna stick around tonight and security will have a care stationed outside."

"Actually we should all stay," Cobb suggested. "Just to be sure," he added, overriding Emma's protests. "Whoever hired Eames _might_ try again."

Emma sighed, but was secretly glad. "Fine. So you know, there's _one_ empty bedroom and Aesha will probably come back late, so I'll leave the sleeping arrangements up to you guys."

"I get the bedroom," Mal announced and Emma almost choked on her tea at Cobb and Arthur's indigent expressions.

"Mal!"

* * *

That night, after changing into a white tank top and sweatpants, which were Emma's PJs of choice, she went to her closest, knelt down, and pulled out of the back an iron box that was padlocked; using a key, she unlocked the box, opened it, and took out a small stack of aged papers.

Sitting cross-legged, Emma carefully sorted through the papers, which had drawings on them, and thought back to the attempted extraction._ 'Whoever hired Eames, that person wanted _more_ then access to the family fortune, they wanted my sketches. But why?'_

Spotting the drawings she'd done over the years, Emma had nearly panicked, and now that fear was returning; for as long as she could remember, she'd had dreams about a strange and amazing man, whose appearances changed from time to time, various traveling companions, which had included her cousin Dot, and a magical blue box that traveled to the most _amazing_ and _impossible_ places.

These dreams both scared and excited Emma, and in just about every dream, the strange man would greet her by name, calling her his dream child; as she got older and older, the dreams came less often, and then, when she was thirteen years old, the dreams of the man just stopped.

That had left her sad and she eventually forgot about the dreams until a few years ago, and then the dreams returned with new adventures, companions, the strange man, and the magical box.

'_Why would anyone want my drawings?'_ Emma wondered, carefully putting away the drawings, shut and locked the box, and shoved it into the back of the closest; deciding to worry about it later, she got up, closed the closest, and she went to bed.

The moment Emma shut her eyes, she entered one of the amazing and scary dreams with the man, a blonde-haired companion, and the magical box.

* * *

On a roof across from the apartment, a dark figure watched and waited until the lights were out, proof that the inhabitants were asleep; moving silently, the figure disappeared form the roof, using a zip-line to get onto the balcony outside Emma's apartment.

* * *

Gaining entrance, the figure stood in the living room, where Arthur was sleeping on the couch, and Cobb was sleeping in one of the recliners; the figure moved silently through the hallway and into Emma's bedroom, where he went straight to the closest.

He opened the door, reached inside, and retrieved the box; working quietly and quickly, he opened the box and pulled out the drawings. Sorting through them, he selected two, put the rest away, returned the box to its' proper place, and then left.

* * *

Elsewhere, the brown-haired man was examining the framed drawing when the figure entered the study and bowed.

"Sire, Eames failed to extract the drawings from the dream child's mind," the figure reported, "but I was able to retrieve these from her belongings." And he handed over the two drawings.

The man took the drawings and nodded with approval. "Very good, and what of Mr. Eames?"

"He has been taken by the security of the dream-share program," the figure reported. "And they're looking for his partners. What should we do about him should he talk?"

"He won't," said the man confidently, framing the two drawings. "Eames knows better then to reveal who it was that hired him; for now keep tabs on him for it's likely that he will be of use in the future."

"Yes, sire."

* * *

A/N: For those of who aren't familiar with the classic Doctor Who era of the series, I was referencing an Seventh Doctor episode called _Ghost Light_, where Ace, also known as Dorothy or Dot, had to face the evil she encountered as a child and learns that it's really an alien entry that was calling itself Light. R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 2: WEDDING BELLS

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: I return with a new chapter! I hope you all have been enjoying my fanfic, and I'd love to get a review or two sometime.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: WEDDING BELLS**

"I _can't_ believe that I'm _finally_ doing this."

"Believe it, sweetie."

Emma was standing in front of a floor-length mirror, wearing a floor-length white wedding dress with long Celtic sleeves and was covered with small crystals; after dating Arthur for two years and being the maid-of-honor for Mal's wedding, now she was getting married, and she was nervous.

"Maybe Arthur and I should pull a runner and just elope," she suggested to Mal, who was straightening the white veil that was attached to a silver tiara encrusted with blue gems.

"Not allow," said Emma's mom, Evelyn Pepper, upon entering the room with a slim black box. "Anyway, it's too late," she added setting the box down on a table, opened it, and lifted out a silver chain that had a raindrop-shaped diamond on it. "Something old."

"Mom, that's your necklace," Emma protested.

"And now it's _yours_," said Evelyn, putting the necklace around her daughter's neck. "Family tradition."

Emma had to smile and lightly touched the diamond pendent. "Thanks, mom."

* * *

Meanwhile, Arthur was getting ready with Cobb's help and he was dealing with his own pre-wedding jitters; he'd been Cobb's best man two years ago and now Cobb was going to be his best man.

"Suddenly, eloping doesn't seem such a bad idea," Arthur grumbled, messing with his bowtie.

Cobb chuckled and fixed his friend's bowtie. "You'll be fine," he said reassuringly. "After today _everything_ changes."

"As if the dream-sharing program hasn't already did that," Arthur pointed out, but he was smiling, which was what his friend had wanted.

* * *

At the chapel that the ceremony would be held in, the guests were heading inside and no one heard a strange wheezing sound that was coming from a nearby closest; after a few seconds, the noise stopped, and the door open briefly revealing a tall, blue box as a tall figure with a blue pin-striped suit a blue tie, red trainers, and a tanned trench-coat, stepped out and shut the door.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the man strode over to the entrance, where invites were being checked, and he pulled out a black object and flipped it open.

"Very good, sir," said the door man, "welcome."

"Thanks." The man smiled and entered the chapel, taking a seat in the back, and observed as the family, friends, and invited guests were taking their seats, too._ 'I love weddings.'_

* * *

"Do you, Arthur, take Emma Daisy Pepper as your lawful wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked, an open Bible in his hands.

"I do," Arthur confirmed, holding hands with Emma.

"And do you, Emma, take Arthur Gordon as your lawful wedded husband for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Nodding, the priest looked at Cobb, who was standing nearby. "Do you have the rings?" and watched as the two gold rings, one engraved with roses, were passed to the couple, and they placed the rings on each other's hands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest announced, "you many kiss the bride."

Smiling, the couple kissed for several seconds to cheers and clapping, and then the broke apart and moved down the aisle; as they moved through the crowd, Emma caught a glimpse of the man in the trench-coat and, for a brief moment, thought that she recognized him before she was distracted by her parents, and forgot about him.

* * *

Leaving the celebration in the chapel, the man headed back to the closest with a happy, and yet sad smile on his face._ 'Good for you, my dream child, good for you.'_

Opening the door, the man entered the closest and shut the door; moments later, the wheezing sound started up for several seconds, and then faded once again. This time there was one witness, who quickly left to report the sighting.

* * *

After the reception that included the tossing of the bouquet and the changing of clothes, Arthur and Emma laughed as they left the hotel and ran through a shower of rice and white rose petals thrown into the air; reaching the car, which had been covered with the usual wedding pranks, they waved goodbye, got inside, and drove off for their honeymoon.

"I'm glad that they're finally married," Mal commented with a smile.

"Same here," Cobb agreed, pulling his wife close and smiled at her, especially at her slowly growing belly; they just learned that Mal was expecting their first baby.

* * *

"And you're certain that it was him?" the leader asked, flipping through the photos that the operative had taken before, during, and after the wedding, and during the reception.

"Yes, sire, it was him," the operative confirmed. "He left while the newly weds were surrounded by friends and loved ones."

The leader nodded. "Yes, that's _typical_ of him, but his bond with the dream child won't keep him away from her forever, and the next time that their paths crossed, _that_ is when we will strike."

"Yes, sire." And the operative left.

The leader carried the photographs over to a display, where there were a number of photos posted on several boards, all of different people and places, and he posted the new photos.

'_Soon,'_ he thought, smiling at a photo of Emma and Arthur,_ 'soon, we all will rid our world and other worlds of his evil.'_

* * *

Two weeks later, Arthur and Emma were spending their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan, and they were enjoying every _second_ of it; currently the happy couple were attending the cherry flower festival and they were having a picnic under one of the trees that was filled with pink flowers.

"It's amazing of just how many different types of food that one culture can provide," Arthur remarked, enjoying a piece of shrimp tempera; while making their wedding plans, and he and Emma had decided that they need to go somewhere other then the states or Europe, and so they both chose Japan as a good place to go.

"Yeah, and a lot of other amazing stuff, too," Emma agreed, reclining on the blanket. "Maybe we should move here," she suggested, sipping her drink. "You know, after we're both done with college and we've gotten our decrees."

"Hmm, maybe we should," Arthur said thoughtfully. "'course we'll have to leave the program, too, if they'll let us."

Emma sighed and lay on her back. "Yeah, the program," she muttered. "Arthur, is it just me or are the people in charge taking the whole dream-sharing thing in a different direction then what we were told two years ago?"

Arthur nodded, having noticed that the dreams and research that they were doing was moving away from training their troops and toward spying on the minds of others. "Yeah, I've noticed that, too."

"Honey, when we get back, we should suggest to Cobb and Mal about leaving the program," Emma suggested, staring up at the trees. "They're our friends, and it's only fair."

"It is," Arthur agreed, moving closer to his wife, and brushed a stray hair off her face. "But we can worry about that later," he added, brushing his lips over hers. "It's our honeymoon time, beautiful."

Emma smiled and kissed him. "You're right, sweetie." And they shared another kiss.

* * *

A/N: I challenge you readers to guess who the man in the trench-coat was and let me know in a review your guess, and I'll let you all know in the next chapter of whether you're right or not. R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 3: A MONTH?

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: I bring you all the next chapter and I all hope you've been enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: A **_**MONTH?**_

When Arthur and Emma returned from their honeymoon, they voiced their concerns about the direction that the program was going to Cobb and Mal, who assured them that everything would be fine, and so the subject was dropped for the time being.

After graduating from college with their respective degrees, the head of the program had them relocate to a lab in America to continue their work; about a month later, the topic of extraction was brought up, and a new level of tension came with it.

* * *

"Extraction? Are they _serious_?" Emma wondered, recalling the attempt to extract information from her mind, and the thought of breaking into someone else's mind scared her.

"It's to train the soldiers who go undercover," Cobb explained, not wanting to admit that he was concerned, too. "It'll help them with their missions."

Arthur and Emma were still skeptical about the whole thing when trouble entered the lab.

"So, I get to work with my old friends, eh?" Eames asked pleasantly, smiling at their startled expressions. "Hello, sweetie."

"Eames, what're you doing here?" Emma asked, her eyes were narrowed; unlike last time, the British had his brown hair smoothed back, grey eyes twinkling with amusement, and he was dressed in a nice brown suit.

"I'm part of the program," Eames responded cheerfully, "and I've learned a lot, especially about totems."

The quartet exchanged startled looks; after the attempt extraction, Mal had the idea of making totems, small items that they could use to determine whether they were in a dream or not. Their bosses hadn't been too impressed, but now everyone involved with the program had their own personal totem.

"So, you have your own totem?" Cobb asked and got a confirming nod. "And you're going to be working with us with this whole extraction business?"

"Absolutely," Eames confirmed and rubbed his hands together. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

For the next week, the group worked together on different ways to extract information from other people, and during this, Eames revealed that in dreams, he could _literally_ turn into someone else.

And so there were times when in the dream world, Eames would prank Arthur and Emma by looking and acting like people they knew, and it drove them up the wall; of course there were other complications, the biggest being the subject realizing that they were dreaming and being chased by the projections.

* * *

"_Run!_"

Emma and Eames ran down a hallway, being pursued by a group of angry men armed with guns and clubs; they reached a crossing hallway, which also had a stairway and when Emma headed for the hallway, Eames pulled her toward the stairs.

"This way!"

"Eames, wait!" Emma protested, running up the stairs. "We're going the wrong _way_!"

Eames ignored her and continued up the stairs until they reached the roof, and headed toward the edge, finding that there wasn't a fire escape, and that they were trapped.

"Eames, you idiot!" Emma snapped, pushing her ex-boyfriend. "I was trying to get us to the _safe room_!"

"Sorry," Eames apologized, realizing his mistake, just as the men arrived. "How much time do we have left?"

Emma checked her watch, the second hand was moving slowly. "Five minutes."

"Any ideas?" Eames asked and frowned when Emma glanced at the edge of the roof. "_Besides_ that."

Emma scowled at him. "Look, either we jump or we get torn apart by _them_," she pointed out as the mob got closer. "Your choice."

Eames looked between their two choices and sighed. "Fine, the roof edge then." And they both ran toward the edge and jumped into the empty space beyond, falling toward the ground below.

* * *

Gasping, Emma snapped awake and tried to sit up while Arthur ran to her side, and pulled her close, rubbing her back.

"It's all right," he said reassuringly, "I got you." And he carefully removed the tubes. "You still had some time left on the timers, what happen?"

"The subject figured out he was dreaming," Emma answered, shooting at glare at Eames, who was removing his own tubes. "We got chased by the projections, ended up on the roof _again_, and had to jump."

"Eames, what's the point of putting a safe room in the dream if you're not going to use it?" Cobb asked, annoyed. "Three times, Eames, _three times_!"

"And I told Emma that I'm sorry," said Eames, offended. "I promise to follow her lead next time," he added.

Just then Cobb's cell rang and he answered it. "Hello?" and his eyes went wide. "She is? Ok, um, I'll get to the hospital as soon as I can, Stephen." He closed his cell and told them what was going on. "Mal's going to the hospital and is in labor."

"Eames, clean up, we gotta go!" Emma exclaimed and the trio headed out, excited and nervous.

* * *

Four hours later, Mal gave birth to a healthy baby girl and named her Philippa, a name that even Cobb approved of; three years later, they had a second child, a boy named James, and it was another happy day for the couple.

Sadly, like all good things, it wasn't meant to last.

* * *

Emma was in the study of her and Arthur's house, which was located on her parents' property, and was sketching in her sketchbook when her husband walked in, talking on his cell.

"No, we haven't heard from Mal or Cobb lately," he informed the caller. "Yeah, I've tried the house and their cells, too, and I only got voicemail, Miles." He listened. "Sure, we can stop by and check. Okay, bye." And eh clicked his phone off, his forehead furrowed.

"What is it, sweetie?" Emma asked, closing her sketchbook, the drawing unfinished. "Arthur?"

"That was Miles," Arthur told her. "Apparently Cobb dropped Philippa and James at Miles for a while, and that was two weeks ago."

Emma frowned. "Two weeks? That doesn't sound like Cobb or even Mal."

"Yeah," Arthur agreed. "I told Miles that we'd stop by the house and check on them."

"Good idea."

* * *

Two hours later, the couple pulled up in the driveway of a nice-looking brown house; reaching the porch, Arthur knocked on the door, and exchanged an uneasy look with Emma when there was no answer before trying the doorbell.

When that didn't work, Emma located the spare key that their friends kept under a flowerpot, and unlocked the front door; inside, the house appeared to be empty, and they checked the rooms until they reached the living room.

"Oh my God!" Emma gasped, staring at the sight of Cobb and Mal sleeping on the floor, holding hands, and between them was one of the PASIV Devices.

Arthur knelt next to the machine, checked the timers, and frowned. "This can't be right."

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"The timers are set for a _month_," Arthur answered, agreeing with his wife's shocked expression. "And they're already been under for two weeks."

"A _month_?" Emma repeated, confused. "Why would they put themselves under for a month?"

Arthur shrugged and stood. "I don't know, but I think we should make some calls," he suggested and his wife agreed.

* * *

It took two hours for the couple to reach someone who was able to tell them what it was that their friends were doing; it turned out that the heads of the program were looking into the possibility of a dream within a dream, and Cobb and Mal were testing it out, having managed to do two dream levels.

"Why weren't we informed of this?" Arthur demanded into his cell. "We always work as a team on this sort of stuff."

_`"Mr. Cobb requested that only he and Mrs. Cobb would do this particular experiment, and we agreed to let them.'_

"Sir, that wasn't wise," Arthur protested. "Who knows what kind of side effects might develop on a psychological level if and when they finally wake up, depending on how deep they're going."

_`"I'm aware of your concerns, Arthur, but none of the prior testers have been affected by the dream within a dream business, and I'm sure that Cobb and Mal will be fine."`_

Arthur wasn't convinced. "Sir, let me go over the results myself," he requested, "please."

_`"All right, I'll send the data to you and Emma."`_

"Thank you."

* * *

When the data arrived in several large boxes, which Arthur and Emma carried into the kitchen, and went to work, sorting through the extensive paperwork; halfway through, Emma was fixing lunch and Arthur was reading through another report when he paused halfway through and reread a particular part.

"Crap."

"What did you find?" Emma asked, joining her husband, and he showed her his discovery. "Several testers reported that they went too deep and ended up on the shore of their own subconscious, calling it limbo; according to reports it is raw subconscious and that nothing is down there. The testers were able to pull themselves out and wake up, but for several, it took them a few days to accept that they were back in reality…the waking world."

Emma had to sit down. "Oh God."

"I know," Arthur agreed, holding her close, "I know."

* * *

Over the next few days, they watched over their sleeping friends, voicing their concerns about the risks of limbo to their bosses, and then, one day, the sleeping couple woke up.

* * *

Emma came back from the grocery store and Arthur was helping with putting the groceries away when they heard a faint gasp from the living room; turning they saw Mal wake up and Cobb was stirring.

"Mal! Cobb!"

Cobb was surprised to see them, but his focus was on his wife, who was looking disorientated and was near tears, and he hugged and kissed her. "Hey, it's ok, we're back, we're awake."

Mall nodded and let their friends help her up, but it was obvious that she was still a bit out of it.

* * *

After a shower, a change of clothes, and some food, they sat together at the kitchen table, where Arthur and Emma told them about the reports of others ending up in limbo, and Cobb confirmed that he and Mal had ended up there for what had felt like fifty years for them.

"Fifty years?" Emma repeated, exchanging a stunned look with her husband. "And you managed to keep your grip on what is real?" she asked, glancing at Mal, who hadn't said very much.

Cobs shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"What happen down there?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing."

* * *

Over the next few months, the heads of the program insisted that they continue working on the dream within a dream; during this, Eames managed to escape after revealing that many big companies had access to the missing PASIV Devices and were using them to steal from each other.

However, Emma and Arthur were more concerned about Mal, who was barely talking to them and was being distant, too; it wouldn't be until much later that something bad would happen that would change everything.

* * *

A/N: For those who have seen the movie, you should know _exactly_ what happen to Cobb and Mal down in Limbo, but if you haven't seen the movie, you should see it since it's a good one. R&R everyone!


	5. Chapter 4: ON THE RUN

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: I return and I'm looking forward to this weekend for several reasons: 1. I will get to see Captain America: Winter's Soldier. 2. It's conference weekend and that means no getting up early for church for a change. 3. I don't have to worry about my job at school for a bit since I got some news yesterday that left me upset and disappointed, and that is all I will say about it. I hope you all are enjoying my fanfics and please let me know by reviewing please!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: ON THE RUN**

_`"…for those just turning in, late last night, Malorie Cobb fell to her death from the sixth floor of the Regency Hotel in New York, and Dominick Cobb has been charged with her murder…"`_

"Oh my God," Emma gasped, sinking onto the bed of the motel room that she and Arthur were staying in; they were spending their anniversary in London, England, and were making plans to_ finally_ leave the program when the news report caught their attention. "Mal…"

Arthur sat next to his wife and held her close as they watched the rest of the report, refusing to believe that Cobb would kill Mal, and when it was mentioned that their friend was on the run, Arthur turned the TV off, having heard enough.

"Cobb's being set up," he concluded, standing up and pacing. "He wouldn't harm Mal, he loved her too much."

Emma agreed and then there was a loud knocking on the door; exchanging a look, she went to the door, peered through the eyepiece, and then opened the door, revealing, Cobb, who was soaked to his skin. "Cobb!"

She pulled him inside, locked the door, and guided him over to a chair near the fireplace, and Arthur went to the bathroom to grab some towels. "God, Cobb, how long were you in the rain?"

"A-a couple o-of h-hours," Cobb stammered, his teeth chattering. "H-had to b-be s-sure you w-weren't being w-watched."

"Stay right here, I'll fix you a warm drink," Emma ordered, and headed to the small kitchen._ 'He's right to be careful, though, and if we _are_ being watched…'_

Arthur brought out several large towels, helped Cobb out of his coat, and then wrapped his friend up in the towels. "We saw the report on the news, Cobb. What happen?"

Cobb took a breath, accepted the mug of tea that Emma brought over, and told them about how Mal had been convinced that she was still dreaming, that he and her had needed to die again in order to wake up, and that she had jumped to her death. "She was possessed by this simple idea and she was convinced that this world isn't true."

"Cobb," said Emma gently, "does this have _anything_ to do with whatever happen in limbo?"

"No."

Arthur and Emma didn't look convinced and Cobb insisted that it didn't; it took a while, but the couple learned from Cobb what had happen at the hotel, and the plan that Mal came up with.

* * *

"I _tried_ to explain it to them," Cobb told them, his face twisted with guilt and grief. "But Mal had given an letter to our lawyer that refuted all the calms about her sanity, the claims she _knew_ I would make, and she even had herself declared sane by _three_ different psychiatrists. I-"

Cobb couldn't continue and his friends didn't push since it was obvious that Mal had planned for everything, and that their friend was in deep, _deep_ trouble, even if he wasn't telling them the full truth.

"Dom," said Emma, gently touch his hand, "what about James and Philippa? Are they safe?"

Cobb nodded. "Yes, they're with Marie and Miles." He sighed. "Guys, I can't return to them, and if I do, I'll be locked up for the rest of my life."

Arthur and Emma exchanged uneasy looks, wondering how they could help their friend without getting into trouble themselves, and then it dawned on them that there was _one way_ they could help by back their friend's freedom.

"Cobb, do you remember what Eames told us before he escaped?" Arthur asked and Cobb nodded. "Well, those companies are gonna need people with our talents, and while it's not legal-"

"Arthur, are you suggesting that we commit extraction for money?" Cobb interrupted, alarmed. "It's a bad idea and goes against the pro-"

"To _hell_ with the program," Emma cut in. "Cobb, it's because of the program that things like extraction exist, and those in charge are responsible for what happen to Mal; we're leaving the program and we're helping you get back to your kids."

Cobb was touched by his friends' offer to help, even if it meant going on the run themselves; after fleeing the States and switching planes four different times, he arrived in London with a single bag and the clothes on his back.

It hadn't been hard to find the right hotel that the couple were currently staying at, but he'd been hesitant to approach them with his problems, and drag them down with him; however, it was clear that he'd chosen right.

"Thanks, guys," he said gratefully.

"No problem," said Arthur, "now let's get you cleaned up before you get sick." And Cobb agreed with the idea.

* * *

After getting Cobb fixed up and settled in a different room, the couple used their access to the program to get a PASIV Device, the necessary drugs and chemicals, including Somnacin, and a few other things before leaving a note behind that said they quit and not to stop them.

And so they and Cobb left England behind to travel from job to job, making contacts, enemies, and teaming up with others, including Eames a few times despite Arthur and Emma's protests, and for the next five years, this was their way of life.

During those years, Arthur and Emma noticed that there were times when Cobb would take out a top that had once belong to Mal, and he would use it as his totem to determine whether he was dreaming or not.

This had the couple worried since they knew that overexposure to the dream-sharing would cause a person to lose the ability to dream naturally and that was the last thing they needed right now.

* * *

In a different part of the world, the leader and his men were busy mopping up in a burning village, which had been filled with criminals, drug runners, and other illegal types, and have now been purged.

The leader watched as the last of the children, all under the age of ten, were loaded into trucks that would take them someplace safe, where they would be raised properly.

One of his men walked up and bowed. "Sire, there is a man here with a message for Ra's al Ghul or someone close to our leader."

"And what is the message?" the leader asked, watching the trucks leave.

"He insists on a face-to-face meeting," said the man, "and only then will he deliver the message."

The leader sighed. "Very well, let him know that he shall have his meeting shortly," he instructed, and the man bow again before leaving; he watched the last of the trucks leave, and then he headed off to prepare for the meeting.

* * *

The messenger was a waxy-faced creep in a three-piece suit and he looked annoyed that he was being kept waiting in one of the few remaining buildings that were left standing, and was futilely trying to keep the ashes off his clothes when a tall man with graying brown hair, a brown beard, icy blue eyes, and was dressed in a gray business suit that was devoid of ashes somehow.

"Ra's al Ghul?" the creep asked with obvious jealously.

"No, I am Henri Ducard, and I represent Ra's al Ghul," Henri corrected. "And you are?"

"Cyrus Durner," Cyrus answered. "Sir, I am here on the behalf of my employers of Cobol Engineering, who wish to locate a particular extractor for a job."

"And why should Ra's al Ghul help your company find this person for a job that is _clearly_ illegal and goes against everything that the League of Shadows stands for?" Henri asked.

Cyrus repressed a shudder at the name and took an envelope out, presenting it to the older man. "My employers are _desperate_," he explained, "and they believe that this man can extract the information they need from their competitor, and there are two others they would also like found for their relationship to that man."

Henri remained silent, opened the envelope, and pulled out three glossy photos of Cobb, Arthur, and Emma. "These are the people you seek?" he inquired while mentally making plans.

"Dom Cobb is considered to be one of the most _skilled_ extractors," Cyrus responded, "and according to reports, he almost regularly works with these two people: Arthur and Emma Gordon; sir, my employers are willing to pay a small fortune to find them."

Henri pondered this, fingering the photos. "And who do they need to extract this information from?"

"Uh, Saito of Saito Energy," Cyrus answered, surprised. "Why?"

Henri ignored him, spoke to one of the ninjas in a foreign language, and then returned his attention to the creep. "I shall present your request to Ra's al Ghul, and give you an answer in the morning."

"Morning?" Cyrus protested, "but my employers are expecting an answer within an hour."

"Mr. Durner," Henri snapped, prompting the ninjas to ready their guns, "Ra's al Ghul is a _very_ busy man and if you can't wait, take your business elsewhere." And he handed back the photos.

"M-morning will be fine," Cyrus stammered.

"Wise decision," said Henri, pleased. "You will be escorted to some proper quarters, and I shall speak with Ra's al Ghul." And he left the building.

* * *

That night, Henri sat in a spacious tent with a fire burning in a pier, and he pondered the photos of the trio; for the past five years, the League of Shadows had managed to keep track of them, and had secretly prevented several attempts to arrest Cobb several times.

'_He _is_ innocent,'_ Henri thought,_ 'misguided yes, but innocent.'_ He picked up the photo of Emma and ran a finger over it. "Dream child…"

There was a soft knock and a ninja entered with a thick file and bowed. "Sire, the data you requested about Saito."

Henri nodded, set the photo down, and accepted the file; he went through the file, examining it all, and smiled after a few minutes. "Saito's using Cobol Engineering to lure the three in, and they don't even know it," he remarked, "and it can be used to our advantage. Where are they now?"

"Rio, sire."

'_Yes, this will work quite well indeed,'_ Henri thought, smiling.

* * *

The next morning, Cyrus was back in the building and was visibly relieved when Henri entered; the older man hid a smile at how on-edge the creep was acting, and then broke the silence.

"Ra's al Ghul has agreed to help your employers locate the people they seek," Henri informed him, "but on one condition."

"And what condition is that?" Cyrus asked, impatient to get out of there, and report in.

"That the league collects them and brings them to a location of your employers choosing," Henri stated. "It is likely that Cobb and his friends will be reluctant to come."

Cyrus nodded. "I'll let them know at once, and I will let you know their answer." And he quickly left.

"Sire, do you think Cobol Engineering will agree?" one of the ninjas asked.

Henri nodded. "They will," he confirmed. "Their greed is too strong to let them stand aside and let their competitor get ahead in the energy race."

* * *

An hour later, Cyrus sent word that his employers agreed, would provide payment on delivery, and the location; Henri smirked at the desire location, which was a harbor in Rio, and how ironic it was.

"Send word back that we will be there," he instructed, and a ninja left. "Spread the word, we leave for Rio tonight."

"Yes, sire."

'_We shall _finally_ meet, dream child.'_

* * *

A/N: And now I shall let the suspense grow until I post again next week. "Smiles evilly" R&R everyone!


	6. Chapter 5: KIDNAPPED!

Inception: The Beginning

A/N: Hello and welcome to the final chapter of this story. I do hope you all have been enjoying it and there is more to come in the next story.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Inception_, _Batman,_ or _Doctor Who_. I only own the characters that I created.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE: KIDNAPPED!**

"Never again, Cobb! _Never_ again!"

Cobb rolled his eyes, following Arthur and Emma out of the rain and into the house they'd been renting for the past six weeks.

Normally they didn't stay in the same space together, but rentable living spaces in Rio Grande were currently limited due to a convention going on.

"Ok, so using Mr. Charles on that last job wasn't the best chose," he admitted, shrugging off his coat and brushing off the rainwater.

"You _think_?" Arthur repeated, scowling. "We got torn _apart_ down there, Cobb. Never again."

Cobb agreed, too sore and tired to argue about the failed gambit.

* * *

Several warm showers, a change of clothes, and food later, the trio were asleep in their respective bedrooms, and the alarm was set.

Little did they know, however, there were black clothed, armed forces heading their way; a small group went to the front door, where one of them pulled out a black device, and attached it to the side of the security box.

Working the controls, a green light blinked on, and the man nodded to his comrades. "The security system is down."

The team leader nodded, gestured to one of his men, and watched as the lock was picked. "Go," he ordered once the door was open, and they entered.

* * *

Once they were inside, the first team moved silently toward the bedrooms as three additional teams entered; pushing open a door, the team leader entered with four men and moved toward the sleeping forms of Emma and Arthur.

Pulling out a small bottle and a white cloth, he moved over to Emma's side; uncorking the bottle, he poured a small amount of liquid onto the cloth, and then reached for the sleeping woman's face.

At that moment, Emma stirred and opened her eyes in time to see the cloth. "Arthur!" Reacting, she kicked out at the man, who crumbled, and leapt out of the bed.

Alerted by his wife's scream, Arthur snapped awake, avoiding a second man armed with a cloth, and slugged him in the stomach; he also leapt out of the bed and, working together, fought their way out of the room.

* * *

Awaken by the shouts, Cobb rolled out of the bed, took out two of the attackers and then bolted out of the bedroom; reaching the living room, the trio encountered the other teams and more fighting broke out.

Two of the attackers chased Emma into the kitchen, where she snatched up a frying pan, and clobbered them both before returning to help her husband and her friend.

More armed teams poured in as they kept fighting back; the frying pan was badly dented by this point, but Emma kept swinging it, knocking the attackers down left and right.

Just then, there was a faint popping sound and there was a brief sharp pain in her neck; wincing, Emma felt her neck and found a black trang dart.

"Oh God…" suddenly woozy, Emma staggered and the frying pan slipped from her nerveless fingers. "A-Arthur…" and she collapsed to the floor just as her husband turned.

"Emma!" Arthur smashed an ashtray onto the head of an attacker and ran to help his wife – he paused when he felt a sharp pain in his neck, and found a trang dart. "No…"

Dropping it, he struggled to reach his wife as his legs gave out; pulling himself across the floor, Arthur was vaguely aware of someone new entering the house.

"Emma," he gasped, reaching for the hand of his wife, who was barely conscious.

"Arthur," Emma whispered, her eyes drooping.

One of the attackers moved to keep the couple from touching, but the new arrival stopped him.

"No, let them."

Arthur managed to grasp his wife's hand before blacking out.

Henri watched this brief exchange and then turned his attention to Cobb, who was still putting up a fight; soon one of the attackers managed to inject a sedative into his arm, and the young man collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

'_They put up more of a fight then I thought,'_ he thought with faint amusement, and figured it had to do with them being on the run for five years. "Bring in the stretchers," he ordered, "and collect their belongings."

Six men left and returned, wheeling in three stretchers and medical equipment, and the other men collected the trio's belongings and attended to their injured comrades.

The three sleepers were lifted onto the stretchers, strapped down, and were then hooked up to several IV bags; while this was being done, Henri went over to Emma and gently traced her cheek with one finger before an oxygen mask was placed over her nose and mouth.

"Dream child."

* * *

Later, the armed men wheeled the stretchers out and loaded them into the back of three waiting ambulances; Henri walked out and watched as the medical vehicles left.

"We're all done here, sire."

"Good," said Henri, "let us leave this place." And they did.

* * *

When Emma began regaining consciousness, she became aware of a cool, salty breeze on her face, and that she was lying on something soft, warm, and comfortable.

Still a bit groggily, she slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring up at a white ceiling with a crystal chandelier; pushing back a white blanket and getting onto her elbows, Emma looked around with mounting confusion at a spacious room filled with beautiful furniture, rugs, and artwork on the walls.

'_Where am I?'_ she wondered and then realized that she was in a bed, and her husband was lying next to her, sleeping. "Arthur," she whispered, touching his shoulder. "Arthur."

Arthur stirred and opened his eyes. "Emma." He pulled his wife into a hug and they kissed, relieved that they were still together. "You ok?" he asked, concerned.

"I think so," Emma answered, recalling the attack. "Where are we?" she wondered, sitting up.

Arthur also sat up and examined the room, noting the circular window that was partly open, and the night sky beyond. "I think we're on a ship."

Emma frowned. "Why would our kidnappers put us on a ship?"

"Don't know," Arthur admitted, "but we better find Cobb."

Emma agreed and they got out of the bed to find their luggage nearby; exchanging uneasy looks, they quickly changed into some clothes, got out their guns, and left the bedroom.

* * *

The couple entered another spacious room, which was like a living room with a fire pit in the center and had a fire in it; seconds later, a door to their left open, and Cobb stepped out with a wary expression on his face.

"Cobb."

When Cobb saw his friends, he was relieved; after waking up, he'd done a test with the top, which had fallen over, and finding Arthur and Emma alive and safe was further proof that he was awake and not dreaming.

"Any idea of where we are?" he asked, nodding to their surroundings.

"I'm guessing a ship," said Arthur, detecting a faint rumbling of engines, "and it sounds like a large one."

"One with security cameras," Emma pointed out, and in a high corner was a black camera with a red blinking light. "Smile, we're on candid camera."

Cobb and Arthur spotted several other cameras in the other corners of the ceiling, and they started when the double doors were unlocked and they opened.

Several Japanese men, who were all wearing white servant uniforms, entered with three long white boxes, and the man, not holding anything, bowed.

"Good evening gentlemen, ma'am," he said pleasantly. "You do not need the guns as you all are guests here."

The trio exchanged confused looks. "Guests?"

"Dinner will be served in an hour," the man informed them, "and you are expected to attend." He snapped an order to the servants, and they placed the boxes on a table. "Attire for you to wear." And then they left, locking the doors again.

"If we're guests, then _why_ lock us in?" Emma wondered, eying the boxes. "Should we?"

"Might as well."

Putting away their guns, they went to the boxes, and opened them: the first two contained black tuxes that looked freshly tailored, and the third box-

"Oh _honestly_!" Scowling, Emma pulled out a red holster gown, which came with matching six-inch heels, and matching ruby jewelry. "They expect me to wear _this_?"

Arthur and Cobb exchanged a look, wisely choosing not to answer that particular question.

"Let's get ready."

* * *

Half hour later, the head servant returned and found them waiting in the living room again, this time in their new clothes.

"Very good," he said with an approving nod. "Follow me, please," he requested, leading them out of their quarters and down hallway.

"In here please."

A set of gold-covered doors were open by two servants and the trio entered a fancy dining room, and were told that dinner would be served shortly; exchanging uneasy looks, they chose to explore the room, which had a large bay window that gave a decent view of the star-covered night sky and the ocean below.

Standing near the window and sipping a glass of sherry was a tall man with graying brown hair, a brown beard, blue eyes, and was dressed in a black tux with a unusual blue flower in the button hole.

"Good evening," said the man with an accented that sounded European.

"Who are you?" Cobb asked warily and then frowned, recalling the attack. "You were there at the house when we were attacked."

The man nodded apologetically. "Yes, and I do apologize for any harm you might have endured. I am Henri Ducard and I am here representing the head of a powerful organization."

"And which organization is that?" Arthur asked.

"The League of Shadows."

The trio felt their insides grow cold upon hearing the name that struck fear in the hearts of criminals everywhere; also known as the League of Assassins, it was rumored that the leader, or Demon's Head, was immortal and was rarely seen in person.

"You work for Ra's al Ghul?" Emma inquired, forehead furrowed.

"Yes."

"And _why_ would your boss want us?" Cobb questioned. "We have no interest in joining your organization."

Henri shook his head. "That's where you are wrong, Mr. Cobb," he corrected. "The League was hired to find you three for a different organization that wishes to hire you for a job."

Just then, the doors opened and a group of men entered, all dressed in black tuxes; there were six men: one was clearly from Africa; the second was American; the third was Middle-Eastern; the fourth was Hispanic; the fifth was Japanese, and the sixth was Russian.

"Sirs, ma'am, welcome aboard the _Wave-crest_," said the black man with a slight bow and a thick accent. "Mr. Ducard, will you be joining us for dinner?"

Henri shook his head and finished his drink. "Unfortunately, I have to decline, and I need to report in. Sirs, ma'am." And he left the dining room.

The black man returned his attention to the trio. "Mr. Cobb, Mr. Gordon, Mrs. Gordon, please sit and we shall have dinner, and we shall talk business, too."

Having no other option, Cobb, Arthur, and Emma seated themselves at the table with the six men, and the servants began bringing in various types of food and drinks.

"I hope you will enjoy the roasted duck with orange sauce," said the Japanese man. "It is a personal favorite of my and is also the favorite of Saito, the CEO of Saito Energy, which is your target…"

* * *

By the time that dinner was over and they were halfway through dessert, Arthur, Cobb, and Emma had learned that their hosts were the heads of Cobol Engineering and that they had a job for them:

Saito, CEO of Saito Energy, was getting ready to expand into an area of Africa that just happen to be under their control via their company, and they wanted his expansion plans as soon as possible; basically, they wanted Cobb, Arthur, and Emma to perform extraction on Saito and get the expansion plans from within his mind.

"You will be paid very well," the Middle-Eastern man told them, "but failure comes with a heavy price."

Cobb exchanged a look with his friends, considering the offer. "It's quite an offer," he admitted, "may we have time to consider it?"

"Mr. Cobb," said the American with a thick Texan accent, "we're currently in-route to Japan, and a prompt answer is best."

The trio exchanged uneasy looks since they were aware of Cobol's reputation when it came to refusals and failures, and it wasn't a pleasant one.

"In that case," said Cobb, "consider us hired."_ 'And I hope we don't end up regretting it.'_

"Very good," said the Russian and they all stood. "Enjoy the rest of your stay aboard; we will be in Japan in a couple of days." And the Cobol heads left.

Once they were gone, Emma shivered and Arthur pulled her close.

"I don't like this, Cobb."

"I don't either," Cobb agreed, "but we don't really have a choice, especially since they _hired_ the League of Shadows to track us down in the first place."

Arthur and Emma had to agree, even though they still didn't like it.

"So, what should we do?" Emma asked. "Start planning and figuring out what we'll need?"

"We should do that in the morning," Arthur suggested, noting the time.

Cobb nodded. "Good idea."_ 'I just hope this works out better then the last few jobs, and she doesn't show up again.'_

* * *

A/N: And cut! Next week the first chapter of my next story will be posted. R&R everyone!


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